Finding Home
by AkarneanGirl
Summary: McKenzie and Brady get a surprise when the Wet Side Story gang turn up on their doorstep in 2013. With Mack's Grandfather in he hospital and the police watching with a close eye, the race is on for them to get the gang back home.
1. Unexpected Visitors

**Title:** Finding Home  
 **Pairings:** McKenzie/Brady, Lela/Tanner, Giggles/Butchy  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own these characters. Simply the plot :)  
 **Author's Note:** So I started writing this story back when the movie came out in 2013, but life got busy so I stopped. After seeing Teen Beach 2 and re-reading what I had already written, I all of sudden had inspiration again and was able to write. In my version of events Teen Beach 2 never happened and the characters of Alyssa, Devon and Spencer (though I love them) don't exist. Please read and review!

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Brady smiled to himself as he walked the familiar route to his girlfriend's house which doubled for the local surf shop. Arriving at Big Poppa's Surf Shop he chuckled, recognising the obvious connection to Mack's Grandfather's favourite film before letting himself in. Almost immediately he was greeted by McKenzie with a kiss and pulled into the sitting room where he could see the end of _Wet Side Story_ paused on the TV.

"I thought you hated this film?" he asked her playfully, knowing full well why she would never again hate the movie she had so often avoided in the past. Mack glared at him before taking the DVD out of the player.

"I couldn't stop thinking about them today," she said quietly as she placed the disc back into its case. "I just needed to see them again." Brady opened his arms and allowed her to snuggle into him. They had only returned from Wet Side Story a few days ago and Brady knew it had been hard on her. Mack had formed a close relationship with the movie's female lead before they'd left, the closest relationship she'd had to someone other than Brady or her family since her Mum died. Leaving had been hard on her.

"I've got an idea," said Brady pulling away from Mack. "Why don't we head down to the beach and surf for a bit? Surfing always takes your mind off of things." Mack smiled.

"I'll go grab my board." She turned and walked out of the room. Brady knew she was looking for the board that had taken her to Wet Side Story. It was because of that trip she hadn't been forced to go off with her Aunt Antoinette to attend a prestigious school she didn't really want to attend.

"You coming or not?" Brady turned to look at his girlfriend who was standing in the doorway clutching her surfboard. "Come on you can borrow one of Grandpa's boards." The two of them made their way out of the sitting room and towards where McKenzie's Grandfather kept his many surfboards.

After selecting his favourite, Brady challenged Mack to a race to the water. "You are so on!" she replied and took off without glancing back. Laughing, he chased after her. McKenzie laughed as she made her way to the front door. Knowing full well that her boyfriend would be able to catch up to her easily she opened the door, hoping to get out and to close it before he got anywhere near her.

"Mack!"

Mack froze in shock. Every time she had wished for these people to be standing on her porch, she never once thought it possible. She felt, rather than saw Brady skid to a stop alongside her. Reaching out she grasped her hand in his, in very much the same way she had the first time she'd set foot in Big Mama's.

"Aren't you happy to see us?" Mack opened her mouth only to close it without having actually said anything. Of course she was happy, but there were so many emotions coursing through her that she couldn't find the words to describe it. Luckily for her Brady was standing beside her.

"Tanner!" he said holding his hand out to greet the surfer. "How did you guys get here?"

"We ran into the ocean after you," Chee Chee piped up. Without saying a word Mack slipped her hand out of Brady's and retreated into the house.

"What's a matter with her?" asked Butchy.

"I'm not sure," replied Brady slowly. "Can you guys wait here for one second?" Without waiting for a reply he turned and followed after his girlfriend. "Mack?" he called once he was out of earshot of the Wet Side Story gang. "Mack?"

"In here!" Brady followed Mack's voice to where she was hiding in her bedroom.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked. "Aren't you happy to see everyone?" Mack stood up and began pacing back and forth.

"Of course I am Brady but what are we going to do? How did they even get here and how are we going to get them home? It's not like we have a lot of storms passing through here! It could be days or weeks or even months until the next one, I mean, what if they're stuck here for ages what will we do then? How will we help them blend in how-"

"Mack!" Brady grabbed Mack's shoulders forcing her to stop pacing and face him. "Will you stop worrying? Just be happy that your friends are here. We can discuss everything later."

"What about Grandpa? He knows the movie too well he'll know something's up!"

"Your Grandpa won't be back until tomorrow. We can worry about that then." Mack closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Brady's shoulder. Sometimes she wished things would go back to the way they used to be, before she and Brady had ever visited Wet Side Story. Then she would remember where she would have been if they hadn't gone and she was glad they'd visited.

"Now come on," said Brady as he lifted her chin. "We have some guests who are probably wondering what we're doing." Mack nodded and slipped her hand back into his. Together they exited the bedroom and made their way back to the front door where the Wet Side Story gang were waiting.

"What was all that about?" asked Struts as soon as they appeared. Mack smiled.

"Sorry guys. I remembered I'd left the oven on." Everyone stood in silence for a few seconds as they processed Mack's words. Before long Lela had broken into a huge smile and was squeezing Mack until she was gasping for air.

"Everyone inside!" called Brady who stepped back to allow the large group through. He counted them off in his head as they walked past. There was Lela and Tanner who were clutching each other's hands tightly. Butchy walked in after them, closely followed by Lugnut, Chee Chee and Struts, and finally Seacat and Giggles. Mack and Brady walked in after them and shut the door.

"Brady what are we going to do with them?" asked Mack as quietly as she could.

"I don't know Mack," he replied just as quietly. "I really don't." Hands still clasped, Mack and Brady left the hallway to join their friends from 1962 in the sitting room, ready for whatever it was the universe had in store for them.

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Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	2. Bad News

Mack looked around the room at her friends from Wet Side Story. She sighed as she realised that with their current clothes they would never blend in to 2013. As the gang from 1962 marvelled over the flat screen TV, Mack signalled for Brady to join her in the hallway.

"Have you found out when the next storm is coming through?" she asked quietly. Brady nodded as he pulled out his cell phone.

"It looks like there should be a storm coming through next week," he replied.

"Okay so we just have to help them blend in for one week. That shouldn't be too bad. All we have to do is get them some new clothes and some new names," said Mack. Brady nodded and the two of them headed back into the living room to tell their friends their plan.

Returning to the living room Mack and Brady were greeted with the sight of the bikers and surfers talking to each other. Mack smiled as she realised it was because of her and Brady that the bikers and the surfers were such good friends. Lela and Tanner were in the corner talking quietly and looking very cosy. Lela looked up and smiled at Mack as she and Brady entered the room.

"So Mack, what's the plan?" asked Lela, loud enough for Mack to hear her over their friends.

"Yeah," said Chee Chee from the corner, "how're we gonna get home?" Brady and Mack exchanged a glance. They knew there was no way they could explain to their friends where home really was.

"We should be able to get you guys home next week," said Brady.

"But until then we need to get you all some new clothes," added Mack with the hint of a smile. She looked at Lela in her iconic pink leather jacket and knee-high pink boots and tried to imagine what she would look like in 2013 clothing. "Brady will take the boys back to his house now to get some clothes, and the girls can stay here and borrow some from me."

The room erupted with sound as the bikers and surfers all began to move. Lela and Tanner shared a quick kiss which earned them a stern look from Butchy before Tanner followed Brady from the room. As Lela and Tanner broke apart Mack could have sworn she saw Giggles watching them with a hint of jealously before watching Butchy leave the room. As the boys left the room Mack and Brady decided to meet back in the living room in an hour.

"'Kay Mack, where do we get our fancy new clothes from?" asked Struts.

"Upstairs," replied Mack indicating with her finger. Chee Chee and Struts ran upstairs without another word, presumably to begin raiding Mack's wardrobe. "Shall we?" Lela held out each arm for Mack and Giggles.

The three girls made their ways upstairs to catch up with Chee Chee and Struts. As they approached Mack's bedroom they could hear the two girls talking about which clothes they liked and which they didn't. When the girls entered the room Chee Chee and Struts were in a heated discussion as to whether the purple sweater Struts was holding was fashionable or not.

"It's an awful colour Struts. The only colours a girl should be wearing is black and red," said Chee Chee pointing to it.

"That's not right," said Mack as she entered the room. "Girls can wear any colour."

"Not if they wants to look good," argued Chee Chee. Mack shook her head before pulling clothes out of her closet and throwing them onto the bed.

"Pick something from here and leave your clothes in the wash basket in the corner. We'll make sure that's what you're wearing when you go home." Mack left the room to allow the girls to pick their clothes and get changed in privacy. After waiting awkwardly just outside the door she changed her mind and headed down to the living room instead. As she settled on the couch her eyes wandered over to the DVD cabinet where _Wet Side Story_ was hidden.

 _RING RING!_

The sound of the landline pulled Mack from her thoughts. She looked at the landline hesitantly before answering. No one ever rang the landline; if someone wanted to reach her or her Grandpa they'd call their cell phones. Swallowing, Mack picked up the phone and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello is this McKenzie Fox? Granddaughter of Vince Fox?" asked the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Yes this is she. May I ask who is calling?" replied Mack. She could feel her heart begin to race. No one ever used her Grandpa's real name; everyone just called him Big Poppa after his surf shop.

"My name is Jasmine; I'm a nurse over at the General Hospital. I'm sorry to inform you that your Grandfather was admitted to our hospital a little over an hour ago." Mack froze. She barely heard the rest of the nurse's sentence. Her Grandpa was in hospital. The one person apart from Brady who had always been there for her was lying in some hospital bed on the other side of town.

"What happened?" she whispered, cutting off the woman in midsentence.

"He had a heart attack. We've called your Aunt Antoinette in. She wanted us to tell you to stay at home, and that she'll come and get you for a visit tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you." Mack hung up the phone and pulled her legs up to her chest. She couldn't say for sure how long she sat there but she figured it must have been close to an hour since the first thing she remembered after the phone call was Brady pulling her into a hug as the tears began to flow.

"What is it Mack?" he whispered in her ear. Although her eyes were closed she could hear her friends whispering to each other. She heard snippets of their conversation and realised they thought her tears were because of them. Wiping her eyes she pulled out of Brady's embrace and faced her friends.

"I got a phone call. My Grandpa's in hospital. He had a heart attack," she said quietly, her eyes on Brady. The room was silent. Tanner circled his arms around Lela's waist.

"I'm so sorry Mack," said Giggles from her spot in the corner of the room.

"It's okay it's not anyone's fault," she replied, her voice sounding oddly flat. "My Aunt is coming." Brady's eyes widened. Aunt Antoinette coming to stay was not good.

"You're Aunt's coming? Now?" Mack nodded, grabbing Brady's hand tightly. Aunt Antoinette had a way of making everything more complicated than it needed to be. She had left the day they had returned from Wet Side Story after Mack had told her she didn't want to go a school thousands of miles away. Antoinette had agreed to let Mack stay, but reluctantly, and Mack wasn't sure that Antoinette wouldn't use her Grandpa's illness as a way to get her to leave.

"What's wrong with your Aunt?" asked Seacat, sensing there was something wrong by the way Mack and Brady were acting.

"Nothing," replied Mack quickly. Even though she was terrified for her Grandpa, and completely unsure what to do with her friends now that her Aunt was coming, she didn't want to worry them. She had enough on her plate to worry about without a group of panicking teenagers from 1962 to worry about as well.

"We'll get through this," said Brady looking around at his friends. "All of us. Together. Just like before." The group began to talk amongst themselves about how they had defeated Les Camembert and destroyed his weather machine. Brady looked at Mack whose eyes were filling with tears. "Come here," he said and pulled her into his embrace as the tears began flowing.


	3. Relationship Advice

**Thank you everyone for the kind reviews. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)  
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After Mack received the news that her Grandpa was in hospital she spent the rest of the day on the couch snuggled with Brady. Her friends from 1962 were sitting with them in the living room but it was obvious they weren't used to staying in one place for so long. Lela and Tanner were sitting very close in one corner of the room talking quietly to each other. Butchy, Chee Chee and Struts were in another corner examining Brady's cell phone. Lugnut and Seacat were having a heated discussion about biking and surfing while Giggles was constantly glancing over at Butchy.

"This is boring!" announced Chee Chee suddenly. "Can't we go and do something?" Brady glared at Chee Chee. He knew it must be hard for them to just sit still for an afternoon but he couldn't risk any of them going out and bumping into someone who might recognise them from the movie.

"Chee Chee!" exclaimed Lela angrily from the corner. "Mack's just received some very troubling news! The least you can do is just wait quietly while she takes the time to process it!" Mack looked at Lela and smiled, her hand reaching up to touch the necklace Lela had given her.

"Chee Chee's right," said Struts. "You can't expect us to just sit here for the next week before we can go home."

"Why don't we throw a beach party?" suggested Seacat, earning him a punch in the arm from Giggles. "Ouch! What was that for G?"

"You don't celebrate when a friend finds out their Grandpa is in the hospital Seacat!"

"No it's okay," said Mack, sitting up. "It's a distraction. That's what I need right now, a good distraction."

"You sure?" asked Brady. He didn't want Mack to feel like she was pressured into anything. Mack smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I'm sure." The room erupted into chaos as everyone scrambled to their feet and made their way out the door and down to the beach. Mack and Brady were the last to leave, grasping hands just before they did so. Mack tried to forget about her Grandpa as she made her way down to the beach. Already she could see four figures in the ocean and assumed it was Seacat, Tanner, Lugnut and Giggles. As she got closer she was surprised to see it was Butchy in the water with the boys and not Giggles, who was sitting on the shore staring out at them. As Brady went to join the boys in the water, Mack sat down next to Giggles to find out what was going on.

"Hey Giggles," she said as she sat down.

"Hey," replied Giggles, not taking her eyes off the ocean. Mack followed her gaze and saw that it was Butchy she had her eyes on. Mack smiled. It was obvious that Giggles had developed a crush on Butchy in the time Mack and Brady had been visiting.

"So how come you aren't in the water with the boys?" she asked, trying to make it sound as though she didn't suspect the reason had anything to do with Butchy.

"No reason." Giggles tore her eyes away from Butchy and looked down at a loose thread on her shorts which she began to pull on. "I just didn't feel much like swimming."

"Giggles you know you can tell me anything right?" said Mack seriously, turning to face her friend. Giggles stopped pulling on the thread and looked at Mack. Mack could see it in her eyes that she was scared to tell anyone of her crush on Butchy. Even though Lela and Tanner were together, Mack knew Giggles was worried about rocking the boat if she admitted she had a crush on a biker. "Do you have a crush on Butchy?"

Slowly, Giggles nodded. A huge smile crossed Mack's face as she pushed Giggles to the side crying that she knew it. Giggles began to laugh and pushed Mack back playfully. "You can't tell anyone," she said once their laughter had calmed down.

"Why not? Have you told him you like him?" Giggles shook her head vigorously.

"Oh no. I couldn't! He's a biker, I'm a surfer. I know things are different now what with Lela and Tanner being a couple, but Butchy is the leader of the Rodents. He'd never be with a surfer like me."

"You never know," began Mack, standing up, "anything could happen. You just have to talk to him. Look, he's getting out of the water now. Why don't you ask him to go for a walk?" Mack turned and ran towards the ocean, stopping to get Lela on the way. Giggles watched her go with an air of jealousy. It was easy for Mack. Still, when Butchy was close enough she waved him over and asked if he wanted to go for a walk.

From the ocean Mack could see Giggles and Butchy walk off together down the beach. She smiled and pulled Brady in for a hug. "What are you smiling about?" he asked. She said nothing but pointed in the direction Giggles and Butchy had just walked off in. Brady looked at her before the two of them burst out laughing.

On the beach Giggles and Butchy were walking in an awkward silence. Giggles took a deep breath as she tried to get the courage to tell Butchy how she felt.

"So what do you think of Mack and Brady's home?" asked Butchy, breaking the silence.

"Um, it's nice yeah," said Giggles absently, her mind on the speech she'd prepared in her mind.

"You alright G?" Giggles nodded, not noticing as Butchy stopped walking and stood in front of her. "There's obviously something on your mind," he said. Giggles stopped walking and took another deep breath.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," she said quickly. Butchy appeared taken aback but said nothing, allowing himself to be led over to a large rock where they both took a seat. "Look Butchy, I know that you're a biker and I'm a surfer," she began quietly, "but things have really changed since Mack and Brady came to visit. I mean, the bikers and surfers worked together to stop Les Camembert and Lela and Tanner got together so there isn't really a rivalry anymore is there?"

Butchy said nothing. Instead of seeing this as a discouragement, Giggles kept going. "I've been trying to get the courage to say this to you for quite a while now, and well," she paused and took a deep breath, before lifting her head to look directly into his eyes, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like you Butchy, and I'm really hoping that you like me back."

Silence fell over the two of them as Butchy processed what Giggles had said. After a few awkward minutes he stood abruptly and began backing away from her.

"I'm sorry, Giggles I can't. You're a surfer, I'm the leader of the Rodents, and it just wouldn't work between us. Everyone expects me to be with Chee Chee or Struts, a biker! Not a surfer," he spat out the last word as if it were poison. Giggles jumped up and brought her arms to her hips.

"What does being a surfer have to do with anything?" she exclaimed loudly. "Tanner's a surfer and he's dating Lela!" She took a step forward and attempted to grab his hand.

"That's different!" he yelled as he pulled his hand away from her. "She's not leader of anything!"

"She's the sister of the leader!" She went for his hand again and this time succeeded. He ripped his hand from her grasp and pushed her so she fell to the ground.

"Get off me!" he yelled.

"Oi mate!" Giggles and Butchy looked to where the third voice had come from. They were shocked to see a teenage boy around Butchy's age running towards them. "There's no need to get all physical mate," the boy said once he'd reached the two of them.

"This ain't any of your business," said Butchy roughly. The boy looked from him to Giggles.

"Maybe I'll make it my business." Butchy said nothing but tackled the boy to the ground. Giggles got up quickly and screamed at him to stop. She could see other people coming to surround the fight and decided to run back to get Mack and Brady. They'd know what to do. As she was running away she heard sirens approaching the beach. Looking back she saw the unmistakable flashing lights of the police. She ran faster. She needed to tell Mack and Brady.


	4. Arrested

Mack watched from the ocean as Giggles and Butchy walked down the beach together. She smiled when she realised that it was because of her and Brady that Giggles had the courage even just to ask Butchy to go for a walk. She could remember the first thing she ever heard Giggles say to Butchy, when she told him that he and the other Rodents should have been 'exterminated'.

"Where is Giggles going with my brother?" asked Lela as she swam over to Mack and Brady. Mack said nothing but winked at Lela. Her reaction was expected as she giggled and put her hand to her mouth. Mack shook her head and began to laugh. The laughter was infectious and soon both girls were laughing loudly as the boys watched them curiously.

"I don't think I will ever understand girls," said Lugnut finally as the girls began to calm down. Seacat nodded in agreement but Brady stayed quiet. He used to think the same, until he had met McKenzie. She was different from other girls, more down to earth, more real. It hadn't taken long to get to know her, and it had taken even less time to fall in love with her. Before he could think about it any longer, he noticed a blonde running along the beach toward them.

"Isn't that Giggles?" asked Seacat loudly. Everyone in the water looked over at the girl running up to them.

"Yeah it is," said Lela. "Should we see what she wants?" Everyone nodded and began swimming back to shore. The group were just walking out of the ocean as she approached.

"Mack! Brady! Come quick!" she cried hysterically.

"Giggles calm down!" said Mack quickly. "Tell us what happened."

"Where's Butchy?" asked Lela looking around.

"He, he got into a fight. The police are there - Mack, Brady you have to help him. He'll be arrested!" Mack and Brady exchange worried looks. If Butchy had been arrested there would be no record of him, and there was no way they could explain why or where he had come from.

"We have to go get him!" cried Lela. There was a cry of agreement from the rest of the group. As they turned in the direction Giggles was pointing Brady yelled at them to stop.

"We can't just go running off after the police!" he said pointedly. "I think Mack and I should handle this. You guys should go back to Mack's house and wait for us there." His suggestion was met with cries of outrage, particularly from the bikers who reminded them that Butchy was their leader and they couldn't leave him behind. Mack held her hands up in an attempt to get the group to quiet down. When it didn't work she resorted to using the wolf whistle her Grandpa had taught her.

"Brady's right you guys! We need you to go home. It's the only way we'll be able to help Butchy!" Brady caught Tanner's eye who understood. Without another word he grabbed Lela and began dragging her away towards the house. Seacat and Giggles got the idea as they began dragging the rest of the bikers away. With one problem solved Mack and Brady headed in Butchy's direction to solve another.

They could hear the sirens before they could see them. As they approached they could see a boy sitting on a large rock, blood running from his nose. Neither of them spotted Butchy straight away. Without saying a word Brady grabbed Mack's arm and pointed in the direction of one of the police cars. Mack strained her neck to get a look at who was sitting in the back of the car. Sure enough it was Butchy, his arms held behind him by what she suspected to be handcuffs.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered. "There is no way we're going to be able to explain this!" Brady said nothing. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He didn't say anything because he knew she was right. No matter what they did to try and help their friend, there was always going to be something that didn't add up.

They watched in silence as the police finished talking to the boy and witnesses. Mack took a deep breath as the car with Butchy in the back seat took off towards the police station. She turned her head towards Brady's chest and let him hold her. She had no clue what to do next.

"We should go," whispered Brady near her ear long after the sounds of the sirens had disappeared. "The others are going to want to know what happened." She nodded. She didn't want to face the others and tell them what had happened. Especially Lela. What would Lela say when she found out they hadn't been able to do anything to help her brother?

Without a word Brady offered her his hand. She took it and the two of them headed back to Big Poppa's Surf Shop. As they walked past the large sign, a pang of guilt went through Mack as she realised that she had been so busy worrying about Butchy and her friends from 1962 that she hadn't even bothered to get into contact with her Aunt to see how her Grandpa was doing. She promised herself that she would call as soon as they had spoken with their friends.

Walking through the front door Mack sensed something was wrong. The house was too quiet to be full of a group of teenagers whose friend had just been arrested. Not ten minutes ago they had been ready to storm the beach to get him back. Why would they be sitting in silence now?

Mack and Brady exchanged a worried glance before entering the living room. It was almost empty except for a solitary figure sitting on the couch, her blonde hair shielding her face from view. Giggles looked up when she heard them enter, her eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm so sorry I tried to stop them!" Mack sunk onto the couch next to her as she realised what the rest of the gang must have done. "I told them to wait for you!"

"Where did they go Giggles?" asked Brady, his voice calm despite the panic rising inside of him.

Giggles tried to stifle a sob before answering but she was unsuccessful. "They - Lela and the bikers wanted to go after him. Seacat and Tanner tried to talk them out of it. They wouldn't listen. They just left! Seacat and Tanner followed them and I stayed here to wait for you guys." When she had finished explaining she pressed the palm of her hands to her eyes to try and stop the tears.

"It's okay," said Mack steadily. "We're going to go and get them." She stood up and headed for the door. When she reached it turned. "Just stay here okay?" Giggles nodded, leaving Mack and Brady to go and find their friends.

They knew that the gang would have had to walk to the police station, so they decided to bike ride there instead, in the hope they would reach it before their friends. As they pedalled along Mack found herself thinking not of her friends, but of her Grandpa and whether he had woken up yet. They had had to walk to Brady's in order to pick up the bikes, and she had taken that time to call her Aunt. Antoinette hadn't been particularly happy to hear from her but had passed on that her Grandpa's condition was critical and that he was yet to wake up.

"Mack!" said Brady suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts. Mack looked over to where he was standing, having gotten off the bike. "We're here." They chained their bikes to the front of the station and went over the plan they had come up with. They were going to call their friends foreign exchange students and hope the police would leave it at that. It was a weak story, but it was the only one they had.

"Hi," said Brady when they reached the front desk. "We're here because we think our friend may have been arrested by mistake?" The receptionist looked up at them, her boredom evident on her face.

"Name?" Mack looked sideways at Brady. They had had a disagreement over whether to use Butchy's real name. They knew that was the name he would have given but they didn't want to risk anyone making a connection between him and _Wet Side Story_.

"Butchy."

"Butchy?" asked a voice from their right. Mack and Brady turned to face the man who had spoken. He had short-cropped hair and looked to be about in his late forties. Mack looked closely at his badge and saw that he was an Inspector at the station. "We had a few kids looking for Butchy not fifteen minutes ago," he continued.

"Do you know where they are?" asked Mack politely. "They're our friends see and -"

"Your friends have been arrested," said the Inspector, cutting her off. Mack's mouth fell open. One friend in jail she thought she could have dealt with. But all of them? She looked at Brady and saw that his face wore the same expression. "I see this comes as a shock to you." The Inspector smiled. "Does it also come as a shock to you that your friends have no I.D.? We ran their prints and found they matched men and women who are now in their sixties and seventies."

Mack and Brady remained silent, their mouths hanging open. The Inspector's smile grew wider. "Oh dear," he said. "I suppose you didn't know."


	5. Seven Days Later

The living room was silent. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the old Grandfather clock that stood in the corner. Each of the teenagers were lost in thought, all trying to think of a way to help their friends but not one of them succeeding.

It had been three days since Mack and Brady were given the news that their friends had been arrested. They had left the station in defeat after arguing with the Inspector for what felt like hours but in reality were only a few minutes. The Inspector, whose last name Mack learned was Hornaday, had thrown them out after they demanded to see their friends.

Upon returning home they had found that not all of their friends had been arrested as they had previously thought. Tanner and Lugnut had not entered the police station along with the rest of the group and were able to run away when they realised what was happening. Tanner had been in a frenzy when they had returned, harassing them with questions about whether Lela was okay. Once they had finally convinced him that they truly had no idea what had happened to her other than she had been arrested he had wandered into the living room and begun staring at the television.

Mack and Brady were the only ones to leave the house. Brady went home every so often to prove to his parents that he was still alive, but mostly he stayed with Mack. The day after everyone had been arrested Antoinette arrived to take Mack to the hospital. After pleading with her Aunt for the better part of half an hour she had finally agreed to Brady coming as well.

The hospital visits were hard on McKenzie. Her Grandpa still hadn't woken up and the doctors were beginning to question whether he ever would. After that particular visit Mack had cried herself to sleep.

Giggles, Lugnut and Tanner spent their time sitting in the living room waiting for news of their friends. None of them had any idea how to help since they were far from home. Every now and then someone would get up to get some food, but it didn't take long before the couch began to bear their imprints.

On the morning of the fourth day the small group were woken early by the sound of the phone ringing. Mack opened her eyes and peered at her cell phone. It was only 5:30 in the morning. She froze. There was only one reason anyone could possibly be calling that early in the morning. Sensing her fear Brady leaned over and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" he said, his voice sounding rough from the early morning wake up call. Giggles reached over and squeezed Mack's hand reassuringly. Tanner and Lugnut sat up from their sleeping bags on the floor and rubbed the sleepy dust from their eyes. Everyone waited in silence for Brady to tell them what had happened.

"I understand," he said slowly before holding the phone out to McKenzie. "They need to speak to you." Mack took a shaky breath before taking the phone and holding it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she said quietly.

"Hello is this McKenzie Fox?" asked a familiar voice.

"Yes."

"McKenzie I am truly sorry but I'm afraid your Grandfather passed away this morning. He had another heart attack late last night and his heart gave out around 3am" Tears began to form in Mack's eyes. Taking another deep breath she asked the nurse where her Aunt was. "Your Aunt is still here at the hospital. She wants me to tell you to stay where you are. She'll come home and get you soon."

Mack tried to say thank you but found she couldn't formulate words. Brady gently took the phone from her and thanked the nurse on the other end. She could hear the nurse apologise for their loss. Brady hung up the phone and opened his arms, allowing Mack to crawl into them as she began to cry. She could hear Giggles crying on the floor next to her. Her hair felt wet and she realised Brady was crying. He and her Grandpa had been pretty close ever since she and Brady had started dating. Neither of them could say how long they sat there, but the sun was fully up long before either of them had stopped crying.

oOo

Mack looked at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognised herself. Instead of her usual bright colours and flip-flops she was wearing a black dress and a small pair of heels. Her hair was done up in her Aunt's signature bun and there was makeup on her face. She didn't see the point of wearing makeup since she knew she was only going to mess it up by crying, but her Aunt had insisted.

There was a knock on the door and Mack turned to see Giggles creep into the room. She was wearing a black dress not unlike Mack's and her hair was also pulled up and away from her face. It had been a full seven days since the Wet Side Story gang had shown up on her doorstep, but to Mack it felt like a lifetime. No matter what they tried they hadn't been able to get Inspector Hornaday to drop his case against their friends. All they knew for sure was that they were still in the jail at the station.

"You ready?" asked Giggles. Her voice had lost that spirit that Mack used to love about her. It was strange really, but the two girls had grown closer in the seven days they had been together. Mack and Brady had taken the time to grieve together, but they had both agreed they needed some time to grieve alone as well. After spending five minutes alone Mack found that she needed someone to talk to. Giggles had been more than happy to listen to what Mack had to say and had even managed to distract her for a little while by asking how her cell phone worked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," replied Mack. She gave Giggles a quick hug before they retreated down the stairs together to meet up with Brady, Tanner, Lugnut and Antoinette. After a long discussion, Mack and Brady had decided to introduce Antoinette to Tanner, Lugnut and Giggles under the false names of Tyler, Luke and Grace. Antoinette had never seen _Wet Side Story_ and had no idea that was where McKenzie's new friends were from.

"Come along McKenzie," she said in what Mack took to be a kind voice. Mack tried not to be too hard on her. After all, he had been her father.

The drive to the funeral home was taken in silence. Mack took to staring out of the window, one hand grasping Brady's and the other playing with her bikini strap. Wearing her bathers to the funeral felt like something her Grandpa would have wanted. She knew her Aunt would never approve but that her Grandpa would have told her to do it. She felt as though she were honouring him by wearing them. She knew Brady was wearing his too.

The service was small. Only a few people spoke including Antoinette and McKenzie. Mack had broken down in tears halfway through her speech and Brady had gotten up to finish it for her. Outside people were coming up to her and telling her how sorry they were for her loss. She thanked them with false sincerity. Inside she felt numb.

When most of the guests had left Antoinette came over to speak to her. Behind Antoinette she could see Giggles, Tanner and Lugnut standing close together talking. Brady was standing a little off to the side and didn't appear to be hearing anything they were saying. Mack tore her eyes away and tried to focus on her Aunt.

"- live with me," Antoinette was saying.

"Wait what?" asked Mack in surprise.

"I said, McKenzie, that I am now your legal guardian and you will be coming to live with me now that there is nothing left for you here. If we act quickly I believe we can get your spot back at the prep school you got into." Mack stared at her Aunt. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything that had happened, she was right back to where she started. Going off to a school she didn't really want to attend in the hopes of having a good future.

Without another thought she turned and ran, her heels making a clicking noise as they hit the concrete path. She could hear Brady and her Aunt calling after her but she ignored them. She just ran as fast as she could.


	6. Whisked Away

McKenzie made it to the beach quicker than she thought she would. Her heels sunk into the sand so she allowed herself a few minutes rest to remove them. Shoes in hand she walked barefoot down the beach and thought about what her Aunt had said. How could she just expect Mack to leave her life behind to go to a boarding school? Hadn't they had this conversation just over a week ago? The more she thought about it the more Mack suspected that her Aunt hadn't entirely been telling the truth when she said she was happy for Mack to forfeit her spot at the school.

The ocean crashing in on her feet as she walked helped her relax. By the time she returned to the surf shop she was no longer bursting with anger but had instead begun to think about her Grandpa. As she crossed the threshold into the shop that doubled for a home she drew a shaky breath at the realisation that her Grandpa would never be able to come home again.

With that thought invading her mind Mack began to work on autopilot. She didn't even realise she had grabbed her surfboard until she was halfway to the ocean. She stopped before she reached the shoreline and sat down, laying her board down next to her.

"Hey," said a voice from behind her making her jump. She smiled slightly. She didn't need to turn around to know who had followed her.

Brady sat down next to her, his surfboard making a soft thud as it hit the sand. He gave her a sideways glance before looking out at the ocean.

"Your Aunt asked you to live with her didn't she?" asked Brady quietly, not taking his eyes off the ocean. Mack looked at him. His eyes were downcast and she knew, though he would never admit it, that he was afraid she would leave. She reached out and cupped his chin with her hand, forcing him to look at her. Without a word she pulled him forward and captured his lips with hers. When they broke apart she looked directly into his eyes.

"She can't make me Brady. She can't make me leave." Brady opened his to speak but Mack cut him off. "She's tried before and she failed. I'm not leaving Brady. I promise." She reached over to him and captured one of his hands in both of hers. "I promise not to leave you. Ever." Brady gave a small smile before leaning over to kiss her. She deepened the kiss and grabbed his shirt with her hand, pulling him closer to her. His hands wrapped around her waist until their bodies were pressed up against each other. When the need to breathe became too great they broke apart, resting their foreheads against each other.

Brady gave her another quick peck before he leaned around her to touch her surfboard, noting she hadn't grabbed the one that had taken them to Wet Side Story. Mack brought her hand up to play with the necklace Lela had given her the day they had left Wet Side Story. She quickly pushed Lela from her mind. She didn't want to think of her friends in jail right now. She would have to deal with that tomorrow.

Instead, Mack stood up and pulled her dress over her head, leaving her in just her bikini. Brady looked up at her with love. She didn't often wear only a bikini, choosing instead to cover her body in a wetsuit or to wear a rash guard and board shorts, but she trusted Brady and he trusted her.

"You know surfing doesn't solve all the world's problems," he said with the hint of a smile. She shook her head and picked up her surfboard.

"Maybe not, but it helps me forget." She took off running and didn't stop until she hit the ocean. She knew Brady would follow her. He wouldn't miss a chance to go surfing. Sure enough she soon found herself following Brady out to the waves even though she had entered the water before him. He always could paddle better than her.

As she caught her first wave she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her. She remembered what it had been like the first time Brady had taken her out on a board. She had always loved the ocean, her Mom and Grandpa had made sure of that, but she was a little afraid of surfing. Brady had helped her get over that fear and now she loved whenever they would surf together.

She was sitting on her board when she saw Brady signalling to her. She paddled over to him and asked what was wrong.

"Look at the sky Mack," he said. Mack looked up and saw what it was he was worried about. While they had been surfing the sky had turned a dark gray and heavy clouds had formed.

"When did you say the storm was coming through?" she asked him.

"This week," he replied. Mack looked at the sky again as she realised this was the storm. This was their best shot of getting their friends hope quickly but there was no way it could be done. Not with most of them in jail. "Come on, we should get back to the shore." She nodded. She had already been caught in one huge storm that month and had ended up being transported into a movie. She didn't really fancy taking the chance of that happening again.

They hadn't paddled far before she felt the wave behind her. It was big. Almost as big as the one that had taken her to Wet Side Story the first time. She looked behind her and could see Brady, his eyes wide in alarm. They began to paddle faster but it was too late. Mack suddenly found herself remembering her Grandpa warning her that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't outrun a wave.

The wave crashed down on top of her. She tried desperately to grab at her board but missed. She could feel herself being thrown around by the momentum of the wave. She couldn't see. Throwing her arms out she tried to reach Brady, but was met only with the cold water.

She could see a light coming from what she assumed to be above her and began swimming furiously toward it. Her head broke the surface of the water and she took in a deep breath before glancing around for Brady. He was nowhere to be seen. Panic set in and she began calling his name. He surfaced a small distance away, gasping for breath.

"Mack!" he called and swam over to her. "You okay?" She nodded. As her eyes adjusted to the harsh sunlight she looked around. The surf was calm, nothing like how they had left it. "You don't think-?" Brady trailed off as he looked at Mack's facial expression. His heart sunk. They were back in Wet Side Story... and their friends were stuck in the real world.

"Let's get to the beach," suggested Mack. In silence they looked around for their surfboards, surprised to see that neither of them were anywhere to be seen. Putting it down to bad luck they made their way to the beach. A fair way up the beach they could see the unmistakeable building that was Big Mamma's and could even see the lighthouse at the end of it.

"I guess we should go to Big Mamma's," said Brady. "See if we can get someone to tell us when the next storm is coming through." Mack grasped his hand in answer. Somehow she didn't think storms would be quite as frequent here.

Together, they began to make their way to Big Mamma's. They knew they were getting close as they reached the row of umbrellas they had been standing amongst when they had been captured by Les Camembert.

"Strange isn't it?" asked Brady suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What is?" she replied with a smile, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"About a week ago either one of us would have given anything to get back here to see our friends again. But now-"

"They're trapped in our world with no way of getting home," she finished for him. He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"We're going to make it home Mack. There has to be a storm coming through at some point."

"That could be weeks away Brady!" she exclaimed, allowing her fear to take over. She didn't want to be stuck in Wet Side Story for weeks; she wanted to be at home with her Grandpa. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she thought of her Grandpa. Brady pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry." Mack closed her eyes as Brady moved his hand up and down her back. It didn't help to get rid of her fear but it did help to stop the tears.

"How touching!"

Mack pulled away and turned to see where the voice had come from. Her heart sank and she grabbed for Brady's hand when she recognised who it was. A few weeks ago she would have had no idea who it was that was standing in front of her holding a ray gun, but it had only been a week since she and Brady had been their prisoners.

Brady's grip on her hand tightened as they stared into the faces of Les Camembert and Dr. Fusion.


	7. Jail Break

Thank you to everyone who has been reading, following, favouriting and commenting on this story. It really does mean a lot to me! We've reached the halfway point and things are definitely starting to heat up. Hope you enjoy this next chapter and please remember to leave a review! What a fantastic Christmas present that would be! ;)

* * *

Giggles left the funeral home and went to stand outside in the sunshine. The day was dreary and there was a lot of cloud cover, but the sun was forcing its way through the clouds and shining down in patches. She found one to stand in and closed her eyes. She thought about Mack and Brady and how horrible it must be to lose someone that you love. Before she could stop herself she realised she was thinking about Butchy and how easily he had rejected her. Opening her eyes she saw Tanner and Lugnut emerge from the funeral home and make their way over to her.

"Lugnut and I were thinking," began Tanner as soon as Giggles was within earshot, "it's time we got the others out of jail." Giggles looked from one boy to the other.

"How are we supposed to do that?" she asked. She wanted her friends back too, but she didn't think they were going to be able to break them out of jail.

"Brady was talking about bail remember?" said Tanner quietly. Giggles looked over at Brady who was standing away from them, his eyes focused on Mack. She nodded slowly, still unsure of where Tanner was going with this plan. "All we have to do is post bail and Hornaday will have to let them go!"

"Easier said than done Tanner. Where are we going to get enough money to post bail for five people? Besides, if we go down to the station Hornaday will realise we don't have any records either and will just arrest us!" argued Giggles.

"It's either this or breaking them out," said Lugnut. "Which would you prefer?" Giggles sighed. She didn't want to have to break her friends out of jail but she knew Tanner's plan wouldn't work either. She began to pace back and forth, vaguely registering Mack running off towards the beach and Brady running after her.

"There has to be another way," she said finally.

"Maybe there is," said Lugnut suddenly. Giggles and Tanner turned to look at their sometimes overlooked friend. "If they have proper records then the cases against them will be dropped and Hornaday will let them go."

"Yes but they don't have proper records Lugnut," exclaimed Giggles as she tried to massage her temple. Talking about her friends in jail was giving her a headache. She wanted nothing more than to be home and relaxing on the beach in front of Big Momma's.

"But what if they did? Back home Butchy and I used to make some fake IDs. It shouldn't take me too long to do. A couple of hours at most." Tanner and Giggles exchanged a look. They weren't sure this plan would work, but it didn't look like they had much choice. They agreed to meet at the station in two hours.

Lugnut left to work on the fake IDs and Tanner made his way down to the beach leaving Giggles standing in that same patch of sunlight. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was back home. Even with the warmth of the sun on her face she couldn't manage it. Her dress was tight and her hair was pulled back even tighter, nothing like how she would wear it back home.

She opened her eyes and looked out at the beach. Deciding it was better than sitting in front of a funeral home for two hours, she began to make her way down to Tanner, choosing to sit with him while they waited.

It didn't take long before the rain started. It came down light at first before getting heavier. Tanner and Giggles admitted defeat and ran for the cover of the funeral home. From there they watched as the waves got bigger and bigger before they crashed onto the shore.

Two hours passed in silence and before long the two of them were meeting up with Lugnut outside the station. He explained the plan to them as he handed them their own fake IDs. Giggles examined hers in great detail. She recognised that they were good, but she knew they wouldn't fool Hornaday for long. Once their friends were released they needed to return home before they were caught.

"Let me do the talking okay?" said Lugnut finally. Giggles nodded and clutched the ID close to her chest. She grabbed Tanner's hand with her free one, and allowed him to pull her into the station.

Once inside Lugnut walked straight up to the counter and demanded to talk to Inspector Hornaday. When the receptionist said the Inspector was busy, Lugnut argued with her until she called Hornaday in. Lugnut returned to Tanner and Giggles with a small smile on his face. If they failed in what they were about to do they could be arrested on the spot. Giggles caught herself wondering, not for the first time, if they should have talked to Mack and Brady about this first.

Hornaday entered the room and cleared his throat. Lugnut immediately went up to him and thrust the records into his hands.

"I believe that's everything," said Lugnut triumphantly. Hornaday said nothing as he began rifling through the documents. Giggles squeezed Tanner's hand until he gently pried his hand from hers. She gave him an apologetic look before returning her attention to Hornaday. After a good fifteen minutes of silence he looked up and beckoned for the teenagers to follow him.

Hornaday led them into a small office and closed the door behind them. Silently, he motioned for them to sit down before placing the documents on the desk and sitting down opposite them.

"Do you expect me to believe that these IDs are not fakes?" he said. Giggles froze. He knew the IDs were faked. She avoided his gaze and settled instead on staring at the plant he had sitting in the corner, noting without surprise that it was dead.

"They are real," replied Lugnut defensively, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well if they are real why haven't you brought these to me before now?" questioned Hornaday. "You're friends were arrested a week ago, why wait until now to try and get them released?"

"We didn't have their IDs with us. We had to get them sent from home."

"And where is home?" Lugnut hesitated. In that moment's hesitation Hornaday smiled. He had caught them in the lie.

"Here's what I'm going to do," he said leaning forward. "I'm going to release your friends." The three teenagers exchanged worried looks. This is what they had come here to do, but for some reason it didn't feel right. "But I'm not going to drop the case against them. They will not be able to leave the country and I reserve the right to have them arrested again should they attempt to do so understood?"

"Yes sir," answered Lugnut. Hornaday nodded before standing up and showing them the way out.

"We did it," Giggles whispered as they stood in the reception and waited for their friends to be released.

"Sort of," agreed Tanner. "We need to get home before any of us get arrested again." The sound of a door opening caused the three of them to look up. Lela was walking out of the station, followed closely by Butchy and the others. She opened her mouth to talk to them but Tanner shook his head. None of them knew the names Mack and Brady had given them and they didn't want to arouse suspicion.

As quickly as they could, Tanner, Lugnut and Giggles got their friends together and walked them back to Mack's. It wasn't until they got inside that they threw their arms around their friends.

"Tanner!" cried Lela as she all but jumped into his embrace.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he looked her up and down.

"I'm fine," she replied with a small smile.

"Yeah we're all fine," said Seacat, a hint of irritation in his voice. Tanner turned away from Lela to look at the rest of his friends.

"Sorry," he said finally. Seacat shook his head and went to sit on the couch. For a moment the room was silent. The only sound that could be heard was that of the rain hitting the roof.

"Where are Mack and Brady?" asked Chee Chee suddenly, only just realising they weren't there.

"I saw Mack running off earlier and Brady followed her," said Giggles. "I thought they'd be back by now." She looked towards Butchy who avoided her gaze. "They can't have gotten far in this storm. Maybe if we just wait here they'll come back." The rest of the group agreed and they settled down in the living room to wait.


	8. Revelations

"This is bad Brady," said McKenzie quietly. Brady tried to make out her features in the dim lighting. He could see that she was terrified and upset, but was still trying to be brave. They'd been captured by Les Camembert and Dr Fusion before and had escaped. There was no reason why they couldn't escape again. "This time it's different," she continued.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean this time our friends aren't here to rescue us. They're trapped in 2013 and we're trapped in Les Camembert's basement." Brady sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he agreed with Mack. They were trapped, and this time they had no means of escape. He just wished he could reach out and hold Mack, but this time they had been tied up on opposite sides of the room. Brady was just glad they were being held in the same room, at least this way he could talk to Mack and try to get her to calm down. He didn't even want to think about what would be going through her mind if she were alone.

Brady opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a metal door being pried open.

"Good morning!" came the bright and happy voice of Les Camembert. He appeared to be very pleased with himself about something. Brady tried not to think about what that could be. He didn't believe it was just because he had captured Brady and Mack. "How are you enjoying your stay?"

"What do you want?" asked Mack angrily. Les Camembert stared at her, the smile not fading from his face.

"After you destroyed my life's work, I was ready to give up. I didn't see the point if you and those rotten surfers and bikers were just going to foil my every plan, but you see one day I realised that you were all just gone. All the bikers and all the surfers just disappeared." As he spoke, Brady became aware of the ray gun Les Camembert held in his hand.

"Fusion!" yelled Les Camembert suddenly. There was a loud crash from upstairs and a few minutes later Dr Fusion came stumbling down the stairs. "Untie them," commanded Les Camembert as soon as Dr Fusion came to a stop in front of him.

"Where are you taking us?" asked Brady immediately. Les Camembert simply smirked.

"All in good time," he said. As soon as she was untied Mack made her way over to Brady who wrapped his arms around her. Les Camembert cleared his throat and motioned with his ray gun for them to climb the stairs. Slipping his hand in Mack's, Brady took a deep breath and began to climb.

"Where are we?" asked Mack as they climbed through rubble and debris.

"Don't you recognise it?" replied Les Camembert coldly. "You've been here before." Mack looked around and tried to place where it was they were. She felt something crunch under her foot and looked down to see the remnants of the weather machine scattered on the floor. With a soft gasp she realised they were in the ruins of the lighthouse where they had been captured the first time.

The rest of the climb was done mainly in silence, with Les Camembert poking Mack and Brady with his ray gun every so often to make them hurry up. Eventually they came to a large metal door which Dr Fusion hurried to open. The door groaned loudly as it opened, flooding the ruined building with sunlight. Mack and Brady blinked as their eyes tried to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Without a word, Les Camembert poked them with his ray gun and forced them outside. Holding up a hand to shield his face from the harsh light, Brady made his way outside. He could see they were standing on the beach looking out at the ocean. It was hotter than he remembered it being, and much more humid.

"Brady-" cried Mack suddenly, clutching his arm even tighter. Brady looked at his girlfriend before following her gaze out to the ocean. With a jolt he realised what it was she was talking about. The surf was flat. There were no waves to be seen anywhere. Brady realised where the humidity had come from.

Les Camembert had done it. He had succeeded in making the surf flat and in rusting the bikes.

"After you left," began Les Camembert quietly, "I dedicated myself to creating a more powerful, more permanent weather-altering machine. As you can see I have succeeded. I was hoping to do so before you and the others made it back, but I do seem to have failed at that."

"Yeah and you'll fail at this as well," said Brady angrily. "We will find a way to stop you." Les Camembert and Dr Fusion began to laugh.

"I highly doubt that my boy seeing as you and your girlfriend are about to be locked in my dungeon again." Mack and Brady shared a glance. Brady could see the terror lurking behind her eyes though she tried not to show it. "And with the surf flat, you will never make it home."

Les Camembert indicated to Dr Fusion to take Mack and Brady back downstairs. For once they did not fight it. What was the point? There was nowhere for them to go even if they did escape. Their friends were stuck in 2013 and there was no hope of them getting home. As Mack's hand was pulled from Brady's he felt numb, as if there were no hope left in the world, and he knew without looking that Mack felt the same.

oOo

The rain on the roof simply wouldn't stop. It began coming down heavier and Giggles was worried that the old roof may collapse under the sheer weight of it. She tore her gaze away from the ceiling and instead settled for stealing glances at Butchy. He was sitting a little away from everyone with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Giggles frowned slightly.

She looked around the room and saw that most of her friends were sitting in twos or threes and talking quietly about where they thought Mack and Brady could be. Standing suddenly she made her way over to Butchy and knelt beside him, noting as she did so how he turned his head to avoid her gaze.

"Can we talk?" she asked quietly. She was painfully aware that she currently held the attention of the room and was hoping that Butchy would realise this as well and would avoid making a scene. He nodded and stood, allowing her to lead him from the room.

She led him up the stairs and into McKenzie's bedroom, closing the door behind them. She turned to see him standing in the middle of the room, arms still crossed.

"What is this about Giggles?" he asked her. Giggles took a deep breath before she began.

"What happened on the beach Butchy?" Butchy dropped his gaze to the floor and shuffled his foot a bit. Giggles recognised this from all the times she had watched him back home. He was nervous.

"I don't know what you mean. Nothing happened on the beach," he replied slowly. Giggles let out a small sound of frustration.

"You got into a fight and were arrested Butchy! Tanner, Lugnut and I just got all of you out of jail!" she hissed angrily. When Butchy didn't say anything she threw her hands in the air and turned to leave. Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she heard Butchy ask her to stay.

"I'm sorry," he said once she had turned to face him. "I really am. You just, you took me by surprise at the beach. I'm not very good at talking about my feelings." Giggles stayed silent as she studied him closely. It didn't come as a surprise to her that he had trouble talking about his feelings.

"What are you saying?" she pried gently. Butchy remained silent as he raised his head and met her eyes. She could see the answer reflected in his eyes. She smiled and walked over to him, taking his hand, noting with pleasure at how this time he didn't let go. "We should get back downstairs," she said quietly. Butchy nodded and led the way.

"Butchy!" yelled Chee Chee as soon as they came into view. "You have to see this!" She waved something around in front of his face. He took it from her and turned it over in his hand. It was a rectangular box that was decorated in pictures and text. As he looked over it he saw a familiar face staring up at him.

"What am I doing on this box?" he asked.

"We don't know Butchy, but it's not just you," said Lela. "When we weren't here, Brady taught Tanner how to use some technology including this box." Butchy raised his eyebrows as Lela indicated a metal box sitting underneath the television. "Just look!" she continued pointing at the screen.

Butchy looked at the screen carefully. Sure enough he could see himself and all his friends at Big Momma's in what he recognised to be the turf war.

"What is going on?" he asked loudly. No one answered. They were all too busy wondering the same thing, and wondering why Mack and Brady had never told them that they had known who the Wet Side Story gang were long before they met.


	9. Escape

Butchy stood with his arms up, shouting to his friends to calm down and listen to him. His eyes sought out Giggles who was watching him closely. He indicated with his head for her to meet him the hall. She nodded and left the room. As he crossed the room, Chee Chee caught his arm.

"What are we gonna do Butchy?" she asked hysterically.

"I don't know yet Chee Chee," he replied. "But if we could all just calm down," he yelled out over the sounds of his friends, "I might be able to figure something out." For a moment the gang was silent, but one angry comment from Seacat got them all yelling over each other again. Butchy shook his head and slipped out of the room to find Giggles.

"You don't have a plan do you?" she asked after he found her waiting in the kitchen. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her.

"No," he said into her hair. "No I don't have a plan." Giggles pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.

"Do you really think Mack and Brady knew who we were before they met us?" Butchy was silent as he thought about it. He didn't really have a lot to do with either of them when they had first come to Big Momma's. He had been more preoccupied with how to make the hangout strictly a biker joint and with protecting Lela from any of the surfer boys' advances.

"I don't know," he said finally. "It's possible." He looked at Giggles who was staring out the window. Coming up behind her he could see that the storm had gotten worse, and was causing massive waves in the ocean.

"What is that?" Butchy looked to where Giggles was pointing. A little way down the beach he could see two surfboards that appeared to have been washed ashore. "Those look like Mack and Brady's boards!" she exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning her to face him. She nodded.

"I spent seven days here Butchy, I know what their surfboards look like." That was enough for him. He took her by the hand and led her back into the living room where their friends were still in heated discussion about Mack and Brady.

"Everybody listen up!" said Butchy loudly. The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Butchy. Since the end of the turf war Butchy had become the leader of both the bikers and surfers. "Giggles spotted Mack and Brady's surfboards. They've washed up onshore."

"What does that mean?" asked Tanner, his arms wrapped tightly around Lela's waist. Butchy hesitated before replying. Giggles sensed his uncertainty and squeezed his hand. He closed his eyes briefly - drawing strength from her touch - before opening his eyes and beginning to speak.

"We don't know for sure what it means yet Tanner," he began slowly, "but we can figure it out." The rest of his sentence was cut off as the bikers and surfers once again began yelling angrily over one another. A wolf-whistle sounded and the room fell silent. Everyone looked around trying to figure out who had sounded it, shocked when it turned out to be Lela.

"We need to stop arguing and start doing something!" she said angrily. "Do you remember how things were before Mack and Brady visited us? We couldn't agree on anything. But Mack and Brady helped us to see that there was a way we could work together, that we didn't have to fight anymore. They helped me see that the fighting was keeping me from being with the person I am meant to be with." Tanner smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"That's great and everything, but that doesn't change the fact that Mack and Brady knew who we were when they came to our world," said Chee Chee loudly.

"Then we need to find them and confront them," said Butchy firmly. "Everybody remembers how we got here right? What if that's also the way back?" The room was silent as everyone processed what it was Butchy was saying.

"You think if we go back into the ocean during this storm we'll be able to get home?" asked Lela from her spot in Tanner's arms. Butchy let out a small sigh as he realised just how ridiculous it sounded. They had no idea for sure if swimming in the ocean during a storm really was how they got to Mack and Brady's world, but if there was even the slightest possibility that it would lead them home he was willing to take the risk.

"I do," he said, wrapping his arm around Giggles' waist and pulling her closer. "If Mack and Brady's surfboards have washed up on shore then there's a chance that they got caught in the storm and might even be back home waiting for us." The room began to fill with noise as the worried teens talked over each other trying to weigh the pros and cons of their situation.

Giggles angled her head slightly to talk quietly in Butchy's ear. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" He shook his head slightly. "But you still think this is our best chance?"

"I really do." Giggles was silent for a moment while she thought. Suddenly, she clapped her hands together and announced to the group that she was with Butchy and that they were leaving right now. Without waiting for anyone to reply she gently tugged on Butchy's hand and began leading him out of the house.

It didn't take long before the entire gang was following them down to the ocean, though some had taken more convincing than others with Chee Chee and Struts bringing up the rear, complaining loudly at the idea of entering the ocean again.

As the group reached the shoreline they slowed, wondering what it was they were supposed to do next. Sea Cat and Tanner retrieved the surfboards and offered to walk them back up to the house since no one was keen to leave Mack and Brady's boards on the beach.

"I'll go with you," said Lela. The three of them returned to the house while the rest of the group stayed on the beach looking out at the rapidly growing waves. Five minutes later everyone could hear Lela yelling something as she, Tanner and Sea Cat ran back to them. Butchy could see that Sea Cat was carrying a surfboard with him.

"What is it sis?" asked Butchy once Lela was in ear shot.

"Look!" she replied excitedly, pointing at the surfboard Sea Cat was carrying. The group took a closer look at the board and everyone saw what it was that had got Lela so excited. The board was sporting the same Hawaiian flower as the necklace Lela had given to Mack. "Mack and Brady had this board when they first came to our world, it must have been how they got there!"

"That's our way home," said Butchy loudly. He was pleased to see everyone nodding in agreement. He held out a hand to Sea Cat, wordlessly asking for the surfboard. Without waiting to see if anyone was going to follow him, he took Giggles' hand in his free one and walked towards the ocean. He heard rather than saw his friends follow them in.

It didn't take long for a wave to crash over their heads, plunging them into darkness.

oOo

"Hang on, almost got it." Brady moved his hands a little faster, trying to cut the rope that was binding them together.

"Hurry," whispered Mack from the other side of the room. Brady struggled to make her out through the darkness. He could see an outline of what he assumed to be her and focused on it, attempting to ignore the sting of his wrists.

"Yes!" he exclaimed finally, swinging his hands in front of him in triumph. Not wasting anytime he hurried to the other side of the room and untied Mack. As soon as her hands were free she wrapped them around Brady's neck and kissed him softly. He could feel her trembling in his arms.

All too soon they broke apart and looked towards the door. Brady put one finger to his lips and grabbed Mack's hand with his free one. Together they walked towards the door slowly, feeling for obstacles that could be in their way.

Mack cringed at the slight groaning sound the door made as Brady pried it open slowly. Motioning with his head for her to follow, Brady slipped through the door and out of sight. Mack took a deep breath before following.

She looked up and saw Brady waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Quickly, she made her way up them and into the remains of the lighthouse.

"Going somewhere?" came a voice from her right.

"Mack run!" yelled Brady. Mack didn't wait to be told twice. She took off running, climbing over what was left of the lighthouse and failed weather machine. Ahead of her she caught a glimpse of the beach.

Mack felt her foot catch on something. The last thing she remembered before falling to the ground was Brady's shouts. Then everything went black.


	10. Homecoming

The sound of the metal door being pried open was enough to bring Brady back to consciousness. He groaned as he opened his eyes. Before they adjusted to the sudden change in brightness, the harsh light was blocked by the silhouette of a man half-pulling, half-carrying someone into the room.

"Fusion", said Brady under his breath. The man moved further into the room, allowing the light from the doorway to illuminate his features. "Mack!" Brady said loudly once he realised who it was Fusion was bringing in. "Mack can you hear me?"

Once he reached the centre of the room Fusion let go of Mack, allowing her to fall to the ground. Brady struggled against the rope binding his hand, trying desperately to get free and reach her.

"Let me go!" he screamed at Fusion as the Doctor turned to leave the room. "What could we possibly do to you? We have no way of getting home and our friends aren't even here to come and rescue us! What harm would there be in letting us go?" Fusion ignored him and left the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Brady's heart sunk as he heard the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place. They weren't getting out of this anytime soon. Instead of worrying about how they would get out, he focused his attention on Mack who hadn't moved since she was dropped onto the floor like a rag doll.

"Mack?" asked Brady quietly. When no reply came he called for her again. Eventually he gave up, his voice hoarse from yelling. Still Mack didn't wake up. The only thing that reassured him she was okay was the steady rise and fall of her chest which he could just make out through the darkness.

"Come on Mack," he said quietly, more to himself than to her. "I can't do this by myself. You mean everything to me. The only reason we survived the movie the first time was because of you. I need you."

"That is possibly the cheesiest thing I have ever heard you say."

"Mack?"

Brady watched as Mack sat up slowly. Her movements were too slow and for a moment he worried that she was seriously hurt. She rubbed her arm before standing and making her way over to him and undoing the rope.

As soon as the rope was free Brady gathered her up in his arms, breathing her in. He had been so sure he was about to lose her, he needed to reassure himself that she was still there.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a strained voice.

"Me? You're the one who's been gone for hours! I was afraid something had happened to you! That you weren't coming back!" he replied, his voice betraying the anxiety he was trying to hide from her.

"Brady, you're squeezing me!" Brady immediately relaxed his grip, giving Mack room to shift slightly in his embrace so that she was facing him.

"What happened to you Mack? You were right behind me on the stairs."

"I know I'm sorry." Mack paused. She began to run her finger up and down her arm, something she only did when she was nervous. Brady gave a small smile and placed his hand on top of hers, stopping the movement.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I left you," she said in a whisper that was barely audible. Brady sighed. He should have known she would be upset with herself for leaving him behind.

"Hey," he said, capturing her chin in his hand and tilting it so they were looking eye to eye. "I wanted you to run. I don't care what happens to me so long as you stay safe." Mack smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Slow at first, but it soon became more heated. When they broke apart both of them were gasping for breath.

"That's two cheesy things you've said in five minutes you know." Brady chuckled as Mack poked him in the ribs. "Keep this up and next I'm going to be expecting flowers and chocolates on my doorstep every morning." Brady laughed again, pulling her in for another kiss.

Mack leaned into the kiss, passion overtaking them. Brady ran his tongue across her bottom lip, silently seeking access. She parted her lips slightly, her hands finding the hem of his shirt and slipping beneath it.

Brady caught her wrists and slowly pulled her hands back, breaking the kiss as he did so.

"As much as I want to do this," he said, his lips still close to hers, "I don't think doing it in the cellar of a destroyed lighthouse is the best place." Mack laughed before planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"I suppose not," she agreed. "We'll just have to figure out a way to escape, find Les Camembert, defeat him again, find his weather machine, destroy it and make our way home."

"Deal," replied Brady, holding out his hand for a handshake. Mack took it and laughed as they shook hands.

"You are such a dork." Brady laughed as he pulled her against his chest. He smiled despite the situation. They may be trapped in the cellar of a lighthouse with no means of escape, but Mack was here and she was safe. That was all that mattered.

oOo

Water surrounded him. He felt around in the darkness, trying to grab hold of someone, of anything. He opened his eyes and saw light coming from above him. Deciding that was better than drowning he began swimming up. His head broke the surface and he took a deep breath, looking around for his friends.

"Butchy!" Butchy turned his head in the direction of Giggles' voice. He could see her and a few of the others bobbing around in the water. The rest of them were making their way to shore. He shouted for everyone to regroup at Big Momma's before swimming to shore.

When he felt sand beneath his feet he stood up and took a deep breath. They'd made it home. He looked down and found that he was completely dry, as were all of his friends despite them having just come out of the ocean.

"I guess we really are home," said Giggles quietly. Butchy turned to see her standing behind him and smiled, pulling her into a hug and spinning her around. "Put me down!" she said laughing. He did before leaning down to kiss her.

When they broke apart they were smiling. Butchy looked around and saw that most of their friends were smiling too, happy to finally be home.

"What do we do now?" asked Chee Chee.

"Now we find Mack and Brady and ask them to tell us the truth," said Lela firmly. "I have to know if they lied to us." There was a murmur among the group as everyone agreed with Lela. None of them wanted to believe that two of their friends could have lied to them, but no one knew how else they could explain what they had seen back at Mack's.

"How are we going to find them?" asked Sea Cat loudly.

"We'll start at Big Momma's," Tanner replied. "They'll either be there or someone will have seen them." Everyone nodded in agreement and began to make their way to the hangout. The doors flew open before the group had taken more than a few steps and Kiki and Rascal came running out.

"Tanner! Sea Cat!" Cried Kiki as she and Rascal ran towards the group.

"Kiki!"

"Rascal!"

The surfers ran forward to embrace their friends. After a moment's hesitation the bikers moved forward as well, the girls hugging Kiki while the boys clapped Rascal on the back.

"Where have you been?" asked Kiki once she had greeted everyone.

"It's kind of a long story," said Tanner looking around. No one was quite sure how to explain how they had gotten to Mack and Brady's world or how they got back. He saw that Lugnut was carrying Mack's board and gave a small sigh of relief. At least they hadn't lost their way back if it turned out Mack and Brady weren't here.

"It's bad you guys," continued Kiki sadly. "We think Les Camembert is back!" Within an instant the group was in uproar. Everyone was shouting over one and other saying how it was impossible and that he couldn't be back.

"BE QUIET!" yelled Lela. "Let's at least hear what Kiki has to say!" Everyone mumbled apologies as Lela gave Kiki a small smile.

"None of you came back after you ran into the ocean after Mack and Brady. We waited for a couple of hours but it didn't look like you were coming back anytime soon. Six days passed and nothing happened. Some of the guys headed down the other end of the beach to see if you'd washed up somewhere else.

They heard crashes and bangs coming from the lighthouse Les Camembert was using to build his weather machine. We didn't think anything of it until this morning. When we woke up it was hotter than usual. Really humid you know? That wasn't the worst part though. There was no surf. We never have a flat ocean there are always waves here! Wasn't that Les Camembert's plan? Increase humidity and flatten the ocean?"

When Kiki finished her explanation the group looked around and really took in their surroundings for the first time since being back. Sure enough the surf was flat and each of them could feel that it was hotter than when they left.

Lela reached for Tanner's hand as Giggles reached for Butchy's.

"So," began Lela slowly, "what do we do?"


	11. The Plan

"What do we do?" asked Lela more firmly than before. "We still have to find Mack and Brady and now we have Les Camembert to worry about."

"We'll think of something," said Tanner softly, tugging on her hand to pull her closer. "We always do." He placed a kiss on her forehead before suggesting that everyone move into Big Momma's so they could form a plan.

Everyone began moving in twos and threes towards the hangout. Chee Chee and Struts led the way, Sea Cat and Lugnut following close behind. Lela watched as her brother put his arm around Giggles as the two of them made their way inside. She smiled despite everything. She was glad her brother had found someone.

She and Tanner were the last ones to enter, hurrying inside just after Kiki and Rascal. The room was noisy for a few minutes while the bikers and surfers found their seats, but eventually the group quietened down and looked at Lela and Tanner expectantly.

"So," began Lela once the room was silent, "does anyone know how we are going to defeat Les Camembert? We can assume he's probably hiding out in the lighthouse again."

The group was silent for a few minutes as everyone racked their brains for an idea of how to defeat the man who had been trying to outwit them for as long as any of them could remember.

Butchy shifted slightly in his seat as he thought back to what Lela and Tanner had told the bikers and surfers just over a week ago when they had burst into Big Momma's and first brought Les Camembert to their attention.

"Big Momma's!" he said suddenly, causing Giggles to jump slightly. "Sorry," he said quickly before standing up and turning to face his friends. "Lela, the last time you and Tanner burst in here and told us about Les Camembert you told us that he planned to level the ocean and rust our bikes so that he could buy Big Momma's and turn it into a resort right?"

Lela nodded, a look of clarity dawning on her face as she realised what it was her brother was suggesting.

"Are you saying we can use Big Momma's as bait? To lure Les Camembert out of the lighthouse and get him to meet us here on our turf?" she asked. Butchy nodded, looking to his friends for confirmation that it was a good idea.

The group immediately began nodding and murmuring their agreement.

"But what about Mack and Brady?" asked Kiki. "Rascal and I haven't seen them. So either they never came back here or-"

"Or Les Camembert got them," finished Butchy, a hard look on his face. "He must want revenge on them getting in the way of his plans the first time."

"If we're going to do this we should do it soon," said Tanner. "We all need answers from Mack and Brady and I don't think any of us like the idea of Les Camembert hanging around."

"We need a plan," said Lela firmly. Everyone nodded and began working together to form a plan. Eventually the room was buzzing with conversation as everyone suggested their ideas. It didn't take long before they had a plan and began putting it into action.

The plan was fairly simply. Les Camembert had given Big Momma a business card with his number a while back, telling her to call him if she should ever have a change of heart about selling the shack. The plan was for her to ring him and to set up a meeting at the shack, therefore getting him out of the lighthouse and allowing Lela and Tanner to sneak inside to find Mack and Brady. The rest of the group would wait at the shack with Big Momma for Les Camembert.

"Excellent well I'll see you then," Big Momma was saying into the phone. "Yes I'm glad I've had a change of heart as well." Big Momma rolled her eyes at Lela who was listening to the conversation intently. "Okay yes I'll see you soon. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and gave the group two thumbs up.

"Now what?" asked Lela.

"Now you and Tanner make your way down to the lighthouse. Hide nearby and wait for Les Camembert to leave before you go inside. Remember, you're not just there to find Mack and Brady, you're also there to find and destroy the weather machine," replied Butchy. Lela nodded. She made her way over to him and threw her arms around him.

"Please be careful," she whispered.

"You too sis," he replied. The siblings broke apart and Butchy watched as his baby sister took Tanner's hand and left the shack. He felt a hand sliding into his and knew that Giggles was standing beside him.

"She'll be okay," she said quietly. "Your sister is one of the toughest people I know. If anyone can destroy that weather machine she can." Butchy didn't reply. Instead he wrapped his arms around Giggles and placed a kiss on the top of her head. It wasn't just Lela he was worried about anymore.

Lela and Tanner walked hand in hand down the beach. Under any other circumstance they would have found it romantic, but neither of them could think of anything other than Les Camembert and the idea that two of their best friends may have been lying to them.

They walked in silence until they neared the ruins of the lighthouse. Neither of them had been out this way since it had been destroyed. They'd left for Mack and Brady's world almost immediately after Les Camembert had been defeated.

Tanner pointed to a pile of debris a small distance away from the lighthouse.

"We can hide there," he whispered. Lela nodded and they settled down in their hiding spot, making sure they could still see the lighthouse.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" asked Lela. Tanner looked up towards the sky. The sun was getting low on the horizon, indicating that dusk was approaching. Les Camembert was supposed to meet Big Momma at the shack just after sundown.

"Not long," he replied. They sat in silence for awhile, each pondering how they would find Mack and Brady or the weather machine in the lighthouse when Lela spoke.

"You don't really think Mack and Brady were lying to us do you?"

Tanner studied her for a moment before replying. He could see below the surface of the tough biker, down to the hurt and worried girl she was trying to hide. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"If they did we'll find out soon enough," he said trying to sound hopeful.

"Mack was the first person to ever tell me that I could do anything I wanted. That girls can do anything boys can do. If she knew who I was then she could have been tricking me, moulding me into the person she wanted me to be which is exactly what people have been trying to do my whole life. I don't want her to be one of those people."

"You don't know that's what she was doing-"

"Why else wouldn't they tell us that they knew who we were? Think about it Tanner, it explains so much!"

Tanner was silent as he thought about what happened when Mack and Brady first arrived. About how Brady seemed to know everything that was going to happen before it did. How Mack was determined to make the girls see that they could do anything boys could do. What if Lela was telling the truth and Mack and Brady were trying to manipulate the bikers and surfers into doing things they didn't want to do.

"Let's just focus on rescuing them and destroying the weather machine for now okay? We can ask them why they lied to us once this is finished," he said finally. Lela was still for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Okay but we ask them as soon as this is finished."

"Deal," agreed Tanner quickly.

"But if it turns out that they knew who we were all along, I'm not sure anything will be the same."

The two of them sat in silence after Lela's comment. Tanner didn't want to admit it but he agreed with her. There was no way anything would ever be the same with Mack and Brady again if it turned out they'd been lying.

The silence didn't last long, as just before the sun went down they began hearing noises coming from the lighthouse. Crashes and screeches that sounded like someone was trying to open a door.

Lela and Tanner crouched behind their pile of debris and watched the lighthouse closely. They watched as Les Camembert emerged from the debris, talking to someone they couldn't see. After a few minutes he nodded and began to make his way down the beach.

Tanner made to stand up but Lela grabbed his hand and pulled him down, shaking her head. She whispered to him that they wait five minutes before going in, to make sure Les Camembert was a decent way down the beach.

When the five minutes were up Lela stood and looked to see if she could see Les Camembert. Satisfied that he was far enough away she held out her hand to pull Tanner to his feet.

"You ready?" she asked him.

"Only if you are," he replied. She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips before they clasped hands and made their way towards the lighthouse, unsure of what it was they were going to find.


End file.
